U.S. sailor apologizes on Iranian television for naval incident

Iranian television broadcasts video of one of the 10 U.S. sailors, held overnight by Iran after entering Iranian waters by mistake, apologizing for the incident. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

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ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
One of the U.S. sailors detained overnight by Iran appeared on Iranian state television on Wednesday (January 13) apologizing for his patrol boat having entered Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf by mistake.
"It was a mistake, that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake. The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance," said the unidentified U.S. sailor, sitting with his colleagues.
Ten sailors were detained aboard two U.S. Navy patrol boats in the Gulf on Tuesday (January 12). All were released by Iran on Wednesday morning after being held overnight, quickly ending an incident that rattled nerves days ahead of the expected implementation of a landmark nuclear accord between Iran and world powers.
"Our technical investigations showed the two U.S. Navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters inadvertently," Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement carried by state television.
"They were released in international waters after they apologized," it added.
IRGC Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi had earlier said that the two U.S. Navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters due to a broken navigation system.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden rejected reports that Washington had offered Iran an apology over the incident.
The Pentagon said there were no indications the sailors were harmed while in Iranian custody.